


Sunshower

by lipsticki



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Day At The Beach, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Icarus and the sun, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Slow Burn, Sun God, background lotura but my opinions differ now, i hate how i wrote lotor in this, icarus - Freeform, klance, this was pre season six, when i had hope for him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 04:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15622641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lipsticki/pseuds/lipsticki
Summary: On one otherworldly night when two boys met, the universe spun out of focus — and their world was never quite the same. Though the two were different as wildfire and rainstorms, they were brought together for a reason: to learn, to help, and to heal.[based on picolo’s comic:Icarus and the Sun]





	Sunshower

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the [@klancereversebang](https://klancereversebang.tumblr.com/) on tumblr! I don’t have any art to go with it, but I’d still love to share it with everyone. I also want to thank amazing and talented beta [@fadingcrystalvoid](https://fadingcrystalvoid.tumblr.com/) for editing my story and being such a good sport through the craziness of this event. 
> 
> {Ah, and this was written post season six, so my opinions on Lotor/Lotura have changed since then.}

Rain drizzled from the dense, dark sky as a slender boy walked quietly through the forest, surrounded by nature’s sounds. Leaves rustled as wind whispered through the trees. The wax boy stole quietly through the woods, tilting his chin up to feel the cool drops of rain splash on his face, trailing down his cheeks like teardrops. 

Silver moonlight filtered through clouds, shining down on trembling tree branches and casting a soft glow on the forest. Lance stepped lightly as to not disturb the peace, curling his wings tightly into his back. Dewy grass cushioned his feet as he moved through the brush, his footsteps masked by the sound of rustling leaves. 

After a few minutes, the rain began to gush violently from the sky. Thunder growled while lightning split the cloud-blotted sky, causing the wax boy's steps to halt as his mind whirred. Cool drops drenched him as he hesitated, gathering in the grooves of his feathered wings and slipping down the back of his neck. 

Lance shook the feathers to dry them and began to trod purposefully over the soaked ground, raking his wet hair back with agile fingers. He stumbled blindly, unable to navigate properly in the darkness. The moon had become hidden behind murky clouds, leaving the forest pitch-black.

Lance grunted as his foot caught on a tree root, stumbling and flinging his wings out for balance. He stopped, catching his breath and holding his arms out in the inky darkness. He tucked his wings against his back as he began moving forward once more, slower this time. 

Lance cursed the heavy rainfall, irritated that his peaceful walk through sprinkles of rain had become a wet trek through the inky darkness of the woods at night. He wished for the guiding light of the sun to whisk away the darkness, to dry the clouds' tears and restore the previous gentle shower. 

Lance gritted his teeth in frustration, sick of wandering in complete darkness. He noticed a small blur of light between the trees, faint, but still there. He moved forward, fascinated by the golden glow. The wax boy squinted, trying to make out what it could possibly be. He hardly cared at the moment, because the light gave him something to aim for, to grasp as the darkness surrounded him. 

Lance finally approached a shallow little cave, sheltered from the gushing rain. A warm glow shone from the mouth of the cave, strange and beckoning. 

Lance stepped cautiously into the cavern, the textured ceiling hanging just above his head. He brushed the tips of his fingers along the rough, rocky wall and quickly pulled it back when he felt its uncomfortable dampness, folding his arms to his chest as he peered into the cave and found the source of the glowing light. 

A boy sat curled against the cave wall, a teenage boy with his clasped hands draped over crossed knees, piercing gaze aimed directly at Lance's face. Strangest of all, he was glowing. Warm yellow light radiated from his whole body, filling the room with heat. The boy's eyes flitted across Lance's face, analyzing him. Lance self-consciously dropped his arms to his sides. The boy seemed to come to a negative conclusion, seeing as the corners of his lips turned down in the slightest sneer. 

"Who are you?" 

Lance stared at him, taken aback. "My name is Lance. And you are...?" 

The boy stood gracefully, glowering at Lance and crossing his arms. "I'm the Sun." 

Lance cracked a smile, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. "The Sun? Really?" 

"Are you not looking at me? Do you come across glowing people frequently?" He gestured to his glowing body, rolling his eyes. "Aren't people supposed to have more sense than this?" 

"At least I don't spend my free time alone in a creepy dark cave." 

The Sun looked at him in disgust. "I'll have you know I don't enjoy the rain very much. And aren't you in this cave, too?" 

"I was just looking for a place to stay dry — not interrogating innocent guys trying to take shelter from a storm," Lance argued, flushing. 

"I don't interrogate everyone - just extremely annoying people like you." 

"Wow, I had no idea the Sun was so immature." 

The two boys stared each other down, brows lowered, lips in tight sneers. 

"You know, I thought the Sun would be a bit more classy than this." 

"Oh, now look who's being immature. Can you just shut up?" 

"You shut up!" 

"Whatever." The Sun sank to the floor, staring angrily at the wall, pointedly ignoring Lance. 

"So... Are you like, alive?" 

Keith glanced at Lance, eyes flashing. "I could say the same about you, Wax Boy." 

"Mm, touché. I'm alive, technically. I was a wax figure, but I was given life after my friend sacrificed himself for me." 

Keith brushed his glowing bangs out of his eyes, giving Lance a slightly softer look. "I'm sorry." 

Lance shrugged, turning his head away to hide his hurt expression. "I guess you're not totally heartless. But whatever — what's your sob story?" 

Keith scowled at Lance. "I don't have to tell you anything." 

"That's not very fair, is it?" 

The two boys studied each other for a moment, haughty but reconsidering. 

"This is only a part of me. Obviously, I'm not the whole Sun — that kind of power is unimaginable. I am the human part of the Sun. Every time someone personifies the Sun, every time they compare it to a person or refer to it as a person, they are talking about me. I am only a tiny portion of its full power. However, I still am very important, and very dangerous." 

"The only thing dangerous about you is that haircut, dude. Seriously, a mullet?" 

The Sun's body seemed to flare a bit brighter as he gave Lance an annoyed look. "It's not a mullet. And I'm ignoring you again." 

"Aw, don't do that." Lance strutted over to the Sun and sat down next to him. Keith scooted a meter or so away and Lance rolled his eyes. "So... what's the Sun like to do for fun?" 

The glowing boy frowned. "I don't do 'fun.'" 

Lance raised an eyebrow and gasped mockingly, his eyes wide and owlish. "Excuse me? Everyone has fun." 

The Sun shrugged. "That's a human thing." 

"You just said you were the human part of the Sun." 

The Sun rolled his eyes. "I'm not human." 

"But you said-" 

Keith jumped to his feet cutting Lance off with an annoyed snap, "I'm not a person, okay? I may look and act like one, but I'm not a real human." 

Lance raised his hands in surrender, surprised by the Sun's anger. "Okay, okay, I get it. You don't have to yell like that." 

Keith glowered at him, leaning against the cave wall with his arms crossed over his chest. 

"You don't seem very comfortable with other people." 

"Do you ever shut up?" 

Lance threw up his hands in frustration. "Do you ever act nice?"

The Sun turned his head away from Lance, refusing to respond. 

Rain pounded outside the cave, filling the tense silence. Lance shifted uncomfortably, resisting the urge to speak. He couldn't stand silence, but the Sun wasn't making it easy to have a conversation. 

He sighed, standing up and taking a few steps away from Keith so he could spread his wings. He turned away from the Sun and shook them out, spraying water droplets all over the cool ground. He reached over his shoulder and ran his fingers over the water-flecked feathers, trying to rid them of droplets. He shook his wings again, annoyed that some water still clung to them. 

He turned back to Keith, startled to see the Sun staring intently at him with furrowed brows. 

"Can I help you?" 

"Your wings... you can fly with them?" 

Lance self-consciously tucked the appendages close to his back. "Well, yeah. I use them to get around when I don't feel like walking because I can go so fast while flying." 

Keith's gaze flicked up to Lance's, his expression a mix of hostility and something soft. "What's it like?" 

"Flying? It's great. I love it — feeling free and powerful... it's awesome. Why?" 

Keith looked away, his face turning stormy. "Isn't it ironic that the living embodiment of the Sun, which resides in the sky, cannot fly?" 

Lance took in Keith's posture, noting his slumped shoulders and surly expression. He tried to grasp the idea of not being able to fly, never feeling the wind rush past your skin and pull at your hair. 

"So you wish you could fly... but you can't?" 

Keith whipped his head back towards Lance, nearly growling. "Don't you dare get any ideas about you lifting me off the ground." 

Lance stared at him in horror. "Okay, I was not thinking that at all. I was just asking, okay? I mean, it kind of makes sense that you don't have wings if you're the human part of the Sun." 

Keith shot Lance an unamused glare. "I... suppose that makes sense. But you have wings." 

Lance winced at the touchy subject. "I'm not entirely human. A wax body cancels out my human spirit." 

"At least you get wings. I'm not entirely human either and I don't get wings." 

"That's different. You get fire powers!" 

Keith rolled his eyes. "This is ridiculous. Why are we even arguing? Can we go back to silence?" 

"No! Silence is boring. Let's do something fun." 

The Sun pursed his lips. "No." 

"Yes." 

"No." 

"Fine, don't have fun. Not my problem. While you sit in this dark, lonely cave, I'm going to be outside, happily experiencing the rain." 

Keith smirked, shrugging. "Have fun with that. I hate the rain." 

Lance blinked at him, honestly confused how anyone could say they didn't like rain. Rain was gentle but strong, soothing and delightfully unpredictable. It might be slightly unpleasant to navigate in when the shower turned heavy, but it was that power that made the downpours so amazing. "No one hates the rain." 

"I hate the rain. And I'm not going out in it." 

"Lighten up, a little, will you?" Lance grinned. "Get it? Lighten up? Because you're the Sun?" 

Keith threw Lance a disgusted look, casually lighting a flame on the tip of his finger and gazing thoughtfully at it. "That is a horrible pun."

Lance made an indignant noise, lowering himself to the ground again and sitting with his legs crossed in front of him. "I didn't think it was that bad. That's my version of fun, and it's what you're stuck with since you're afraid of a little rain shower."

Keith glared at him, but then his expression relaxed and he said, "Your fun sucks."

"Does not!"

"Does too. What do other people do for fun? I don't normally interact with them."

Lance curiously studied the glowing boy, wondering how lonely he must be to not know much about human culture. "Well, people go out and do stuff with their friends. Friends are—"

"I know what friends are, Lance. I'm not that clueless. What do they do?"

"Well... it depends on what they like to do. They can go outdoors and take a walk, or observe animals."

"Is that what you were doing before you came here?"

Lance looked away, fidgeting with his fingers. "Well, sort of. I wasn't out with friends, and I was trying to clear my mind rather than have fun." 

"Do you have friends?" 

Lance looked up sharply, snorting. "Yes, I have friends!" 

Keith shrugged. "Just wondering. With a personality like that, I don't know who would hang out with you." 

"Wow, rude. The Sun's got a hot temper, I see." 

Keith scoffed, stepping out into the middle of the cave. "Well, Wax Boy, I can't say it's been pleasurable, but it was interesting spending time with you. Since the rain has stopped, I'd better get going. I probably won't see you around. Goodnight." 

He disappeared in a wisp of smoke, leaving Lance disgruntled. 

"So he gets teleportation powers too?" 

Lance sighed, standing up and walking to the front of the cave and peering outside. The rain had calmed considerably, only an occasional drop falling from the sky onto the drenched forest. 

He exited the cavern, trekking through the damp woods back to his home. The moon had reappeared in the sky, making it a bit easier to see where he was going. 

If someone had asked Lance to predict what he thought the Sun was like, he probably wouldn't have said "hot headed asshole" — but that's what he got. Keith was an interesting character, with his snappy replies and thoughtful responses. Lance couldn't help but feel a little curious about the boy — he wondered what it was like, spending all that time alone, watching humans but never being able to truly be with them. However, his annoyance completely overpowered that curiosity. The guy didn't have to be such a jerk about everything. But maybe that was a result of his lack of contact. It couldn't be easy to talk to people when you hardly ever interact with them. 

Lance grunted as he walked straight into a tree branch, the rough wood cutting across his cheek and leaving a scratch. He stopped walking, bringing a hand to the injury, prodding it with his fingers. He dropped his hand and continued walking, deciding it would probably be healed within minutes. A simple injury like that wouldn't take long to heal. 

\- - -

"Hello, Lance. I was wondering where you were." 

The wax boy entered the parlor from the front door and spotted Allura sitting cross-legged on the couch, a book in her lap. 

"Sorry about that, Lulu. Got caught by that sudden rainstorm when I was walking." 

Allura slid a paper bookmark in her novel and leaned forward to place the book on the coffee table, smiling at the wax boy. "Be careful out there, okay? I don't want you getting hurt. Also, go dry off — you're dripping rainwater on the floor!" 

Lance grinned, strolling down the hallway to his room. "Don't worry, I'll be careful in the woods." 

He stopped and snatched a towel from the bathroom, wrapping it around his shoulders and pushing open the door to his room. 

He plopped onto his bed, falling backwards and staring at the ceiling. 

"You made a new friend?" 

Lance jumped at the voice, sitting up and scanning past a bookshelf to see the vague and transparent shape of a man sitting at his desk chair, his lips drawn in a satisfied smirk. 

A wave of pain went through Lance's chest when he saw Lotor. He didn't know how the spirit could stand Lance when the wax boy was responsible for his current state. "No, I most certainly did not make a new friend. I met a confusing idiot and am very angry at him." 

"Oh, I don't know. I thought he was kind of cute." 

Lance pretended to gag. "Maybe without the mullet. I mean, I know that objects sometimes have magical properties and counterparts, but did I have to meet the Sun? Why not... the ultra-hot beach goddess or something? Or the personification of gentle rain?" 

"Apparently, fate has other plans. I thought the whole exchange was particularly funny." 

Lance scowled, tossing the towel onto the floor. "It's annoying how you can sense stuff like that. Eavesdropping on parts of the conversation without even appearing. Which, by the way, is extremely annoying when I'm trying to talk to someone at the market and have to explain that I'm not crazy." 

"It's not my fault I'm like this." 

Lance slid his gaze to the floor. "Right. It's mine." 

"No, it's not. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Lance, my current situation is not your fault—" 

"Oh, don't bother. Of course it is. Yes, you're the one who tripped and hit your head, but I'm the one that tethered to you and prevented you from passing in peace!" 

"How is that your fault? You were a wax figure Allura and I were working on. You weren't even alive. It wasn't my time to die." 

"Death would have been better than this. You forget — you can eavesdrop on what I say, but we can sense each other's emotions. You're unhappy like this." 

"Well, who wouldn't be? But there's no changing it, so we both need to learn to live like this." 

Lance flicked off the bedside light and threw himself onto the bed. 

"Goodnight," he snapped. There was no reply. 

Lance felt anger rise in his chest as he recalled the story of how he came to life, over a couple years ago. 

-

The first thing Lance saw when he gained sight was art. Paintings, sculptures, sketches, some strange, some stunning. He had no memory of before he woke up and was utterly terrified. 

He looked around and locked eyes with a strange, transparent man sitting on the floor. He had pale, flowing hair and hard eyes full of confusion. His thin lips were parted as he stared at the boy. 

"Lance?" 

This word was his name, Lance realized. He looked down at his hands, which were smooth and gray. Humans weren't supposed to be gray. 

"What happened? And who are you?" 

The man stood, looking incredulously at Lance. 

"I'm Lotor, and I... think I'm dead. Or at least partially dead. I tripped and hit my head on a hammer, then fell asleep. I heard a strange voice telling me that my life would help another. When I woke up, I saw you. But impossibly... you're alive. You are a wax figure my partner and I were working on. But now... you're alive. And I'm dead." 

"I don't understand." 

"Something must have happened. My life was transferred to yours... perhaps by the will of the fates. How strange. I'm... oh, no. Allura!" 

He sprinted out of the room, Lance following cautiously behind. Lotor ran to a woman washing plates, his voice tight. 

"Allura, I'm so sorry... something terrible happened. I think... I'm dead. Allura?" 

The pretty woman ignored him, humming to herself and drying a dish with a blue towel. 

"Allura? Allura, listen to me. Can you hear me?" 

Lance stepped forward, the floorboards creaking under his feet. 

"Lotor? Oh, I wanted to tell you that I thought we could— oh!" 

The ceramic plate crashed to the floor when she turned and caught sight of Lance. She clutched her chest and stared at him with eyes like the moon, huge with fear. 

"Oh my... oh... what on Earth..." 

Lance stared at her, frightened by such a loud response. He pointed nervously at Lotor. "He's trying to talk to you." 

"Who?" Allura turned, her eyes scanning past Lotor. "What do you mean?" 

"She can't see me," Lotor whispered, devastated. 

"Lotor," Lance responded. 

"What?" Allura squawked, looking around frantically. "Where is he?" 

Lance looked gravely at her. "Dead." 

-

Obviously, that had not gone over well with Allura. She had been angry at Lance for a long time because of Lotor's death before realizing she was being unfair. She considered him her brother, and loved him dearly. And eventually, they learned that Lotor could appear to others for a short period of time if he tried hard enough. It took a great amount of energy and concentration, but it kept the two connected. Allura thought it was cruel of fate to leave Lotor stranded between death and life on Earth, but was glad she didn't have to let him go just yet. 

Lance sighed, turning over in bed so he was on his side and bit his lips so he wouldn't be tempted to start crying. 

After being brought to life, Lance hated himself with a passion. He felt that he destroyed Lotor and Allura's happiness for no reason. They told him that his life was a very good reason, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. He was a statue, never supposed to be alive in the first place. 

He fell asleep with guilt in his chest and worry in his mind. 

\- - -

Lance gazed out the open window, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair as he looked down at the rocky beach, smiling as crystal blue waves crashed rhythmically onto the sand. He felt much better in the morning, last night's troubles nearly forgotten. 

"Allura!" Lance called, twisting his neck to glance over his shoulder for his sister. "I'm going down to the beach for a while, okay?" 

The young woman poked her head out from her bedroom, spotting the wax boy and smiling. 

"That's fine, just be back before sundown." 

Lance grinned, jumping up and catching the smooth gray door handle, fingers poised to wrench it open. 

"Will do!" 

He swung open the door and sped out, feet pounding on the dry ground before he launched into the air. He spread his wings and sailed upwards, letting out a whoop of excitement as a familiar rush of adrenaline rushed through his veins. He decided to put the beach on hold and instead talk to Hunk. 

He barreled onto the porch, skidding to a stop just before the front door. He rapped impatiently on the door, bouncing eagerly on his heels and grinning. 

The heavy ebony door swung open to reveal a tall boy with warm brown skin, his smile kind and genuine. 

"Hey, Lance. What's up?" 

"Wanna go walking by the creek? I've got something strange to tell you about." 

Hunk raised an eyebrow, his smile giving way to a knowing sigh. "Yeah, I can go. Give me a second — This should be interesting." 

He turned and went back inside, leaving Lance to lean against the doorframe and entertain himself. 

Even though he'd decided not to tell Allura about Keith, he was not going to deny himself the pleasure of bragging to his friends that he'd met the actual Sun. Well, the personification of the Sun, but same difference. 

"Okay, let's go. But I have to get back soon and help my moms cook dinner. They don't want me out for too long." 

"Don't worry, we'll be back by then. Come on, I want to tell you about something!" 

Lance took off towards the woods, rolling his eyes as he thought about the boy who claimed to be the Sun. Though Lance didn't really have a reason to doubt him with that strange glowing skin, that guy really pissed him off. Keith, was it? He was strange. Very strange indeed. 

"So what was this thing you wanted to tell me about?" 

Lance stumbled over a tree root, startled by Hunk's voice. His head snapped up to see that the scenery had switched to trees and falling leaves, the blue sky hidden by tall branches. 

"Oh yeah! Do you remember that rainstorm yesterday? Well, I went for a walk just before it started and ended up getting poured on. But then I saw this weird glow and went towards it, and turns out it was this dude who said he was the Sun." 

Hunk snorted, his eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Really?" 

"Yeah! He glowed, dude. It was the weirdest thing. And he was a complete asshole." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I'm sure." 

"...are you sure?" 

"Yes! I'm not lying about this. I swear, he was in this random cave, avoiding the rain." 

Hunk gave him a disbelieving look. "Yeah, I'm going to need some proof." 

"Fine. I'll take you to the cave, and he might be in there. Bet you ten bucks." 

Lance stopped walking, looking around the forest and straining to remember what direction he was even walking in the night before. The woods looked drastically different in the cheery sunlight than they did during the rainstorm. 

"Uh... probably this way." 

He turned slightly to the left, trekking ahead and hoping he wasn't imagining the slight familiar feeling of the way the trees looked. 

Hunk grinned, rolling his eyes as he kept pace with Lance. 

"I think we both know you're not going to find this mysterious boy of yours." 

"Oh, you'll see." 

\- 

Hunk did not see, because they spent the better part of an hour wandering aimlessly through the woods. 

"I thought you knew the woods really well," Hunk complained. 

"I do, but I told you: it was dark, raining, and I was distracted by threat of starvation and pneumonia." 

Hunk threw out his arms, gesturing to the woods around them. "Well I'm distracted by the threat of my moms skinning me alive if I'm not home soon!" 

Lance stopped walking, turning to Hunk and pressing his palms together in a pleading gesture. 

"Just a little longer? Come on, it can't be far now. I promise it'll be worth it." There was no way Lance was letting go of the chance to prove he was right, not after this long. 

Hunk sighed, "Lead on." 

And eventually, they did find the cave. Lance spotted it and sprinted towards it, certain that this was the correct cave. 

"I told you!" He shouted to Hunk, grinning smugly. 

"Sure, but where's the Sun?" 

"Well, he was right in here before." 

Hunk placed a hand on the cave wall, leaning forward to peer inside. 

"This is pretty creepy." 

Lance rolled his eyes, entering the dark cavern. "Come on, dude." 

Hunk stepped inside the cave, glancing around. "I don't see anyone here, Lance." 

Lance ambled after him, shrugging. "Well... it's not raining. Maybe that's why." 

"Lance, are you sure you actually saw this guy?" 

Lance scowled, folding his arms over his chest and whining, "Yes! I'm not lying, I swear." 

"I didn't say you were lying—" 

"Okay, you know what? I'll call him." Lance cupped his hands around his mouth and took a huge breath. 

"Keith? Keith!" 

"Dude—" 

"KEITH—"

Hunk held up a hand, palm out, wincing at Lance's yelling. 

"Please stop." 

Lance dropped his hands and scowled. "You wanted proof, so I'm getting it. I swear it happened—" 

"Okay, listen. You come to me with this weird story and demand I walk around for an hour with you, during which we found no evidence of this guy's existence. You can't blame me for being a little skeptical." 

Lance heaved a sigh, leaning against the cave wall and shrugging. "Yeah, I understand. But I'm not paying you ten dollars. Not yet, at least. I'm going to walk down to the creek — see you later." 

"Bye, Lance." 

Lance watched as Hunk left the cave, annoyed at being presumed a liar. He didn't know why it was such an important thing to prove, but he didn't want Hunk to think he was making this up. Petty as it was, he wanted to be right — and the Sun was making that extremely difficult. 

He jogged out of the ominous cave, too pissed to walk calmly. He hoped that the rhythm of the rushing water would help relax him. 

A few minutes later, he spotted the creek and sighed in relief. He sat by the edge of the water, dipping a finger into it so the current parted around it. 

"You're an idiot." 

Lance looked to his side to see Keith crouching beside him, glowing gaze fixed on the creek. 

"Oh, now you decide to show up? Thanks a lot." 

Keith looked up at Lance, lips twisted in a snarl. "I am not an object for you to display to your friends." 

"Dude, that's not what I want. I was just proving to my friend that I am not hallucinating or lying to him." 

"I am not your exotic pet expected to come at your call." 

Lance threw out his arms in frustration, annoyance flaring in his veins. "I know that. I'm just saying that you could have showed up, just for a minute. It wouldn't have hurt." 

"I don't like people." 

"Then why are you talking to me?" 

"I'm bored and felt like arguing. Who was your friend?" 

"Why, you interested?" 

Keith's skin glowed orange in response, his cheeks flushing hot as he glared at Lance. 

"No. I'm the Sun: I don't have ridiculous feelings like love." 

Well, that was different. While Lance had kissed the occasional girl he'd met in town, he'd never felt 'in love.' 

"Really?" 

"Well, I suppose I've never had the chance to love," the Sun responded awkwardly, his skin losing its angry glow. 

"Hmm. Well, don't expect me to hook you up with my friends. They don't date assholes, which is what you seem to be." 

Keith rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Oh, shut up already." 

Silence. Lance kind of hoped he'd just leave already. While the Sun's life admittedly did fascinate him, he couldn't stand the guy enough to ask him serious questions. 

"Don't you have, like, official Sun things to be doing?" 

"Yeah. Don't you have a life to be living? Or do you just sit by streams all day?" 

Lance grinned viciously, raising his eyebrows. "You think your life is more interesting than mine? Please, hot stuff." 

Keith's ears flushed as he stared Lance down. "At least I don't hallucinate." 

"It is completely your fault that my friend thinks that! That isn't true at all." 

Keith's mouth curved into a slight smile as he stood carefully, never breaking eye contact with Lance. 

"Is it?" 

And without a warning, he was gone. 

"I hate him!" 

\- 

Pidge hopped over a scattering of rocks, gripping her backpack with one hand and adjusting her oversized glasses with the other. 

"So... this 'friend' of yours, Lance: what's up with him? You said he was kind of unusual?" 

Hunk snorted. "I hope he actually shows up this time." 

Lance felt a stab of nervousness at their words. It was true that Keith was a little different, but he wasn't unpleasantly so. He had high hopes that all of them would get along well. As for whether or not he'd show up... Well, that was completely up to Keith. "It's just that he's a bit different. I mean, I know we're not exactly considered 'normal,' but don't freak out when you see him." 

Pidge tilted her head curiously, "Why would we freak out?" 

"He sort of glows." 

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "He glows?" 

"Yeah. His name is Keith, and he's the Sun." 

A beat of silence was followed by the skeptical comments of his two friends. 

"Again, Lance — I want to believe you, but the whole thing is a little flimsy—" 

"Um, yeah," Pidge stared at Lance with widened eyes. "It sounds a little crazy." 

"Listen guys — I don't really get the whole concept, but it's like he's a part of the Sun — specifically the 'human-like' part. It's confusing... he's better at explaining it." 

Pidge's eyes shone with excitement. "That's cool! So he's like a representation of the human qualities people have imposed on the Sun... that's so fascinating. I mean, if he exists." 

"Why are you always so quick to doubt me? I promise he'll be there." Hopefully. If he didn't get too scared... 

"Yeah, we'll see," the short girl muttered, unconvinced but still excited, judging by her half-smothered grin. 

The sandy dirt eventually turned into powdery sand, soft on Lance's bare feet. The ocean was wild, waves launching eagerly onto shore. 

"So where is he?" 

"Uh, probably waiting for me to call him. Keith? Keith!" Lance called, squinting into the clear blue sky. 

"He just comes when you call? What, are you guys telepathically connected or some shit?" Pidge muttered, yelping when Lance elbowed her. 

"Please don't scare him off, guys. New people make him skittish. Look, here he is!" 

The glowing boy had appeared just in front of the group, the look of a frightened animal on his face as he took in the amount of people standing on the beach. Lance watched his gaze flit between the two people he didn't know, his lips pinched as an attempt to conceal his fear. 

"Keith," the wax boy said softly, hoping to give the Sun an anchor to grasp. 

Keith's attention immediately moved to Lance, his burning eyes locking with his, a silent plead for help. 

"Keith, it's fine. It's fine. You're okay, you're perfectly okay — just relax, okay?" Lance took a step towards the scared boy, slowly extending a hand to place on his shoulder. 

Keith flinched away, holding a hand out to stop Lance. 

"I'm fine. Sorry." His gaze dropped to the ground in embarrassment. 

"Hey, it's okay." Hunk grinned at Keith, holding out a hand to shake. "I'm Hunk." 

Lance quickly noted Keith's pained expression and smoothly interjected. 

"He, er, doesn't do contact much." 

"Oh. That's fine." Hunk awkwardly dropped his hand, grinning sheepishly at the glowing boy. "Sorry about that." 

Keith shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. "It wasn't your fault." 

Pidge stepped forward, waving at Keith. "Hey, I'm Pidge." 

"I'm Keith." 

"Oh, we know." Pidge glanced slyly at Lance. "We've heard a lot about you, actually. Glad Lance found someone he can annoy besides us." 

Lance snorted, narrowing his eyes at the small girl. "Really, Pidge? Like I'm the annoying one." He quickly decided to try and include Keith, wanting his friends to get along with each other. "I'm a pleasant person, right, Keith?"

The glowing boy chuckled. "Most of the time." 

The group, excluding a playfully annoyed Lance, erupted into giggles. Lance felt something click in that moment, meaning that his friends would all get along. 

"Hey, I know I just got here like, five minutes ago, but this is pretty stressful for me. Do you guys mind if we continue this another time?" 

"It's not a problem, Keith," Lance assured him. "We'll see you later." 

Keith shot him a nervous smile before vanishing. 

"Well, that was... interesting," Hunk noted. "He seems... uh, nice." 

Lance shrugged. "He's nervous. And I told you he existed." 

"He's really attached to you." 

Pidge snorted at Hunk's comment. "Oh, that was obvious. Are you two dating yet?" 

Lance shook his head, flustered. "What? No. We're just friends. Only friends." 

"Sure didn't look like it when you two were staring into each other's eyes. 'Don't worry, Keith, I'll protect you from my scary friends.'" 

"Hey, it isn't his fault he's not used to people," Lance snapped, his protectiveness surprising himself and his friends. He hadn't really realized how much he cared about what his friends said about Keith before this. 

"Woah, dude, I wasn't insulting him. Whatever he's comfortable with is fine." 

Lance shrugged, embarrassed. "I know. Sorry." 

Pidge nodded in understanding, not one to hold grudges. "So... your house?" 

"Sure. Lead on, pigeon." 

\- - -

Ten minutes later, Lance and Pidge were relaxing on his porch and drinking lemonade, courtesy of Allura. Hunk was helping Lance's sister with her newest painting. 

"So, for real: do you like him?" 

Lance hesitated, his mouth snapping open, then shut, eventually spitting out, "No! We're just good friends. I mean, I like him, but I don't... you know..." 

"Have a crush?" 

Lance became flustered with embarrassment. "No! Keith is a really great friend, but I don't feel that way about him. Anyway, like I'd tell you if I did." 

Pidge shrugged, a smirk playing at her lips. "Says you. Don't be surprised if you fall for him, dork. This is the perfect setup for a cliché love story." 

Lance scoffed, pressing his hands to his eyes and blowing out a long sigh. His spread his fingers, peering through them at the amused girl beside him. 

"Do you think he likes me like that?" 

Pidge stirred her lemonade with a paper straw and took a long sip. "That's really not my place to say, Lance. It's entirely possible, but it doesn't matter if you don't like him. Think about it, okay?" 

She set the empty glass on the side table and stood. "Well, I'd better get going. Hey, I almost forgot: there's supposed to be a meteor shower the day after tomorrow, super early in the morning. Did you want to see it with Matt and I? Or maybe with Keith?" 

Lance felt his face flush and calmly stared down his friend. "Well, if you're going to be like that, maybe I will go with Keith." 

Pidge giggled, rolling her eyes and grinning at Lance. "I'm just teasing, dude. See it with Keith — you two will have fun." 

Lance blinked at his friend, a bit taken aback. "Thanks, Pidge. I mean, I'd love to see it with you guys—" 

"No, you wouldn't. I'll tease you the whole time and we'll both geek out and you won't understand any of it. You and Keith can have some peace and quiet." She playfully punched Lance's shoulder, scoffing at him. "I'm giving you an opportunity here! Just take it, okay?" 

"Fine, fine." Lance was reminded of how Pidge could really come through for her friends when needed, and resolved to do her a favor back. "Thanks, Pidge." 

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get all lovey-dovey in front of me when you two finally start dating." 

"No one said anything about dating!" 

"Tell Allura that the lemonade was delicious!" Pidge scampered off the porch and waved back at Lance with a wide, impish grin. 

"You gremlin!" 

He watched her sprint to her house a few minutes away, feet kicking up sandy dirt as she sped across the ground. Lance slumped into his chair, unwilling to chase after her. 

"Gremlin," he murmured fondly, chuckling to himself. He yawned, stretching his arms and getting slowly to his feet. 

He picked up Pidge's glass and pushed open the door, thinking about the meteor shower as he threw out the straw and tossed the ice in the sink. How did he know Keith would even want to go? The standoffish boy might deem it too ludicrous, a silly human custom. 

Or maybe not. Maybe the Sun felt differently about Lance than he perceived. 

"Or maybe it doesn't matter because I refuse to like him that way!" Lance spat. He blinked, surprised by the harshness of his own tone. 

Did it matter if he liked Keith? It's not like the Sun had any use for a relationship with a wax boy. Was it even possible for him to fall in love? 

He turned on the faucet and began furiously scrubbing at the glass, nose scrunched in concentration. The more he thought about it, the more he realized Pidge had a point. Sure, he thought Keith was good-looking, with his deep, blazing eyes and his stupidly cute mullet. Sure, he admired the boy's determined attitude, and he did enjoy spending time with Keith... 

His conversation with Pidge had reminded him of his confusing feelings towards Keith. He certainly felt different about Hunk and Pidge than he did about Keith. Lance wondered if it was possible that his wax body was messing with his emotions. 

He turned the water off and set the cup on the counter, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes in frustration. Love was supposed to be happy and beautiful, not confusing and frightening. What he felt for Keith was not simple or lovely. 

Would Keith want to date someone who wasn't even really human? While he was human in spirit, the wax body he was trapped in was definitely not. If the Sun wanted a lover, he'd probably prefer one that was actually human. 

He dropped his hands from his face and walked through the kitchen, past the dining room to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. 

Lance collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the blank ceiling while thoughts flitted around his mind like butterflies. 

His closed his eyes, twisting uncomfortably on the mattress, willing his thoughts to disappear until one pushed its way to the front, echoing through his fading consciousness. 

Whatever happens, I can't lose him. 

\- - -

"Keith!" 

"Hey." 

Lance spun around to see the Sun standing with folded arms, a lighthearted smirk on his lips and glowing hair attractively messy. Lance couldn't help but break into a grin when their eyes met, stepping forward in excitement. 

"Hi! I'm really excited for today. I thought maybe today we could go to the beach?" 

Keith smiled, his eyes lighting up and causing Lance's breath to stall. God, Keith was gorgeous. He was so, so gorgeous and Lance couldn't fight it any longer. Keith was magnificent and Lance desperately wanted to wrap his arms around the glowing boy and kiss him, kiss him slowly and sweetly... 

"Lance? Did you hear me?" 

The wax boy jumped, snapping back to reality. "Yeah! Er, no. Sorry." 

Keith shook his head, giggling. Giggling. Did his laugh always have this effect on Lance's heart? 

"Hey, are you alright? You seem a little off." 

Lance nodded vigorously, his expression probably coming off a little manic in his effort to appear like he was not having a mental breakdown at the moment. "I'm good, just a little distracted. Hey — bet I can beat you to the beach!" 

Lance spun around, taking off towards the rocky beach he'd come to love. He just hoped he didn't seem too distant to Keith. He wanted to spend time with the Sun, but couldn't do it without butterflies erupting in his stomach and his mind going wild. He could hardly look at the other boy without melting into a puddle of confusion and embarrassment. This was getting out of hand. 

He barely noticed when Keith pulled ahead of him and dashed onto the beach, laughing and plopping down onto a large, flat rock. 

"Beat you," he said mockingly when Lance stopped in front of him. 

"Whatever. I totally let you win." 

"Mmh. Totally." 

Lance chuckled and sat down beside him. "So... what now?" 

Keith shrugged, turning his gaze towards the horizon. "I dunno. What do you do when you come down here?" 

Lance pondered his question, turning to stare out at the horizon, too. "Well... different stuff. I splash around in the ocean, collect shells, sometimes just sit and look at the waves roll onto the sand. Depends on what I feel like doing." 

"How do you feel now?" 

Lance turned to Keith, blinking at his bright, burning eyes. The Sun gazed back at him, eyebrows slightly raised, eyes intense, lips slightly parted — a perfect image of beauty. How could someone be so wonderful and pretty at once? 

"I... I feel..." Lance licked his dry lips, finding it extremely hard to concentrate. "I feel like just staying here. Right here." 

Could Keith possibly know the effect his eyes had on Lance? They flickered, they burned, they danced, like twin flames full of life. They were gorgeous. They lit up when Lance talked, in turn causing Lance's stomach to do flips. 

"Right here?" 

"Yeah." Lance suddenly became aware of how close they were, how all it would take to bring their lips together was one push, the slightest tip forward... 

Keith leaned back, his chin dipping, gaze leaving Lance's. The wax boy noticed his smile falter and drop. 

"H-here. Talking I mean. Just talking. Unless you want to do something else, because that's fine!" 

Keith looked back up at Lance with a hint of his previous grin. "You're rambling, Lance. And talking is fine." 

Lance awkwardly leaned back, trying to get the safe distance back between them but not seem rude. "Anything you want to talk about?" 

"Not off the top of my head. You?" 

"Yes, actually. How can you always hear me when I call for you?" 

"Ah, that's a bit hard to explain. It's like... all living things need sunlight, right? It's like I'm your sunlight. I think it's partially because you... well, you don't have a human body. It works for everyone else, but on a much lesser scale. Besides, no one ever calls me because they don't know about me or don't care. I also think it's because you make me more human. I'm the personification of the Sun — I'm not the actual celestial Sun, and I'm not human, but that doesn't mean I can't want things like humanity. So you provide that and I provide your 'sunlight.'" 

Well, it was a much more intimate answer than Lance expected. He felt his face heating up involuntarily as he stared at Keith in surprise and leaned forward instinctively. 

"So... we need each other?" 

Keith abruptly moved back, causing Lance to awkwardly shift back again. 

"No. I don't need to be more human, and you... you don't need me. It's not even good for me to be spending this much time with you, anyway. But I can't seem to help it." 

Lance frowned at him, pursing his lips in annoyance. "Wow, mood swings. One minute you're saying we fit together and the next you're claiming you don't even want to be with me? Thanks a lot." 

"That's not what I said. I want to spend time with you, and I do. This is fine, this is good. It's fine as long as it doesn't change." 

"What do you mean by change?" 

Keith sighed, swinging his gaze to the ocean once more. "I want this to be enjoyable, Lance. Can we please not talk about that now?" 

Lance studied the Sun's profile as he gazed out towards the sea. Whatever Keith had meant hadn't sounded pleasant. He wanted answers, but he didn't want to pressure him. "Fine. Do you have a question for me?" 

Keith's gaze went back to Lance. "I believe I do. Why do you like the beach so much?" 

"I guess it's because it's the place where I feel calm and comfortable. I love the ocean, so it just feels nice to sit and observe how the waves move and how the clouds drift across the sky." He lifted an arm, pointing to the horizon. "It's so peaceful and beautiful, you know?" 

Keith nodded, his eyes trained on Lance. "Yeah, it is. The ocean, it's just... I've never really taken the time to just sit and watch the waves. I never had a reason to. I don't know if I ever would have if I didn't meet you." 

Lance couldn't imagine spending years upon years alone, just waiting for... what? No contact with humanity at all. How unbearable. How would it feel to be the personification of the Sun without being an actual person? Lance hated not having a human body, but he wondered if Keith's pain was even worse. 

"I'm glad you got to see it, Keith. Hey... do you ever get lonely up there in the sky?" 

Keith hesitated, giving Lance a slightly annoyed look. 

"Fine, don't answer if you don't want to." 

"No, it's just... Being the Sun kind of sucks sometimes. Humans don't know how lucky they are. Even if I wanted to, I can't live down here because I'd burn everything. People have so many options and they don't even know it. The only thing I can do is... well, burn." 

"Keith, that's not true. You're more than that, and just as talented as any other person. I know what it's like to feel like you're not worthy and not real, but you can't let that consume you. You're just as human as anyone on this planet." 

A soft smile played on Keith's lips, causing Lance's stomach to flip again. "Thanks, Lance. And you're real, too. You're the most real person I know." 

Lance grinned back, his heart beating faster than normal. "Okay, okay. Enough sappy stuff. Want to swim?" 

Keith snorted. "If I get in that water, it'll just evaporate right off my skin." 

"Oh." Lance considered this. "That sucks." 

Keith chuckled, standing up and walking towards the water. "How about I watch you swim?" 

"I wouldn't want to bore you." 

Keith grinned slyly. "You floundering around in the ocean isn't boring to me." 

Lance jumped quickly to his feet, sprinting to the edge of the water next to Keith and putting his hands on his hips. "I do not flounder. I glide." 

Keith chuckled, his body lit in a happy glow. "We'll see." 

Lance waded into the ocean, fully clothed, smiling happily. The water rushed around his ankles, pushing, pulling, rocking back in forth in a gentle rhythm. The waves were surprisingly calm today. 

"Stalling, fish boy?" 

Lance looked over his shoulder at the Sun, sticking his tongue out. He waded deeper, the ocean now up to his knees. The water was warm, and Lance reached down to run his fingers through it. He wallowed deeper into the water, finally taking a breath and plunging into the waves. 

Water rushed to cover his head, blanketing him in heavy warmth. Lance twisted so his body was parallel to the ground, bringing his arms forward and pushing them back to propel himself forward, into deeper waters. He kicked his legs, driving his body forward, speeding through the murky water. 

After a few moments, he broke the surface to gasp for air, catching sight of Keith waving at him from the shore. The Sun was sitting cross-legged on the flat rock, a dozen meters away. Lance stretched his arm above the surface, waving wildly to the boy on the shore. He dove beneath the surface again, butterflies in his stomach. Keith was unfairly adorable, and it made the urge to do something about his feelings overwhelming. 

Lance rose to the surface, paddling until he could feel the sandy floor brush his feet while his head bobbed above the water. He flipped onto his back and let his body float on the rocking waves, drifting gently. He closed his eyes and smiled, wings curled to his back, arms and legs spread. 

"You really can swim!" 

Lance opened his eyes, turning over and swimming towards Keith until he could wade out of the ocean. 

"Told you so." 

Keith perched on the rock, smiling at Lance. "I didn't know if you were joking or not. Now I can confidently say that you absolutely were not. You're amazing at flying and swimming? That's hardly fair." 

Lance rolled his eyes, slightly flustered by the praise. "Please, you already knew I'm perfect." 

Keith snorted. "You wish. Anyway, what else do you do here?" 

"We could have a contest. Whoever finds the coolest shell wins." 

Keith slid off the rock, smirking. "You're on." 

"Then go!" 

Lance took a few steps away from Keith, sinking to his knees and sifting through the sticky sand for an interesting shell. He brushed past common auger shells and picked up a cracked piece of a sand dollar, examining it then tossing it back onto the sand. He slowly dragged the tips of his fingers through the bits of shell, sneakily glancing over at Keith to track his process. 

He was crouched down and facing Lance, absorbed in holding up a tiny shell to sky to study it. The boy lowered the shell, his gaze falling from the sky to meet Lance's eyes. The corner of his lips lifted in a small smile. Lance grinned at him and ducked his head, embarrassed to have been caught staring. 

"Find anything?" Keith asked, throwing aside a gray shell and shifting to sit cross-legged on the beach. 

"Not yet. But when I do, it's going to blow your shell away." 

Keith snorted. "Don't count on it." 

They searched in silence for a few more minutes, using their hands as sieves to find shells. 

"Okay, I'm ready." 

Lance looked up from his dusty hands to see Keith grinning smugly at him, his hands tucked behind his back. 

"No fair! Can I see it?" 

Keith laughed, shaking his head. "Nope. Not until you're done." 

Lance pouted, picking up a shell and chucking it into the ocean. "I haven't found anything yet!" 

"Then you'd better get going. Now don't look — I need to put this shell down." 

Waves rolled lazily onto and off of the shore, giving Lance's search a calm rhythm. He looked back up a minute later to see Keith sit on a rock and tuck his legs up under his chin, his head falling forward, eyes fluttering shut. Lance smiled softly at the peaceful scene, looking at Keith for another moment before returning to his search. 

A few minutes later, Lance found a slightly chipped sand dollar, only a thumbnail-sized piece missing from the edge. 

"Yeah, whatever, I'm done," Lance sighed, rising to his feet as Keith's head snapped up, his eyes blinking open in surprise. 

"Sorry, fell asleep. What's happening?" 

"I've got a shell." Lance held the sand dollar out with a flourish, thumb placed strategically over the missing bit. 

"Can I see it?" Keith asked, looking at the flat shell in interest and stretching out a hand to take it. 

Lance whipped it out of his reach, shaking his head. 

"Come on, show me yours." 

Keith rolled his eyes and reached behind the stone he was sitting on, cradling a probably five-inch-long conch shell in his hands. 

"What the hell? Where did you find that? That can't be fair, I was sifting through trash shells the whole time!" 

Keith grinned slyly, handing his shell to Lance and taking the sand dollar, rubbing a finger absentmindedly over the curved edge. He raised an eyebrow at Lance when his finger dipped into the missing spot. Lance grinned sheepishly and shrugged. 

"It was just lying right by the rocks. I didn't spot it until I had looked through the sand quite a bit, but I'm shocked you hadn't discovered it first." 

"I'm shocked, too. Well, guess we know who won that round." 

Keith's smirk gave way to a brilliant smile, causing Lance's heart to ache at the sheer beauty of the boy before him. 

"Knew I could beat you. But hey — the shell is for you." 

Lance looked at him in surprise, fingers running over the smooth surface of the conch shell. 

"Really? For me?" 

"Why not? Consider it a token to remember the time we went to the beach and I beat you at shell collecting." 

Lance chuckled, struggling not to involve romantic feelings in this. God, this felt so horribly cliché, even though it wasn't meant that way. Though, a beautiful shell given to someone while the light fades and the ocean turns a purple-blue in the dusky twilight did seem to have a romantic undertone. 

"Thank you," Lance murmured, his voice softer than intended. "And just... don't keep the sand dollar. That's one beat-up token." 

Keith laughed his beautiful laugh and swept his thumb across the flat side of the sand dollar. 

"It might have flaws, but I still like it. I'm keeping it." He set the shell on the flat top of a rock while Lance admired the pink sheen of the shell's surface, grinning at its beauty. He placed it beside the sand dollar, one flawless creation beside a chipped, less perfect one. 

Lance plopped down beside Keith, carefully avoiding the shells and turning his attention the fading sunlight. 

"Hey... Is it weird to watch the sunset because you're the Sun?" 

"Not really? It's more like I'm the Sun, and that's also the Sun, but we're just parts of the whole. Not the same thing. I'm a lesser part — sort of an echo of the celestial object in the sky. Weaker, faded." 

"Is that really how you see yourself? An echo?" 

Keith shot him an annoyed look, folding his arms across his chest. 

"Keith... you can talk to me. Come on, don't shut down like this." 

Keith blew out a heavy sigh. "Sometimes, I hate being like this. Being trapped between two worlds — human and celestial. And it leaves me..." He unfolded his arms, staring at his hands with a pained expression. "Lonely. I'll never be a majestic astronomical object, and I'll never be human. It's cruel, really. I'm an imitation." 

Lance looked fiercely at him, his nails digging into the wax skin of his palms as he clenched his fists in flare of anger. "That's not true at all. You're not an imitation, not an echo. You're different and that's something to be proud of. Maybe your not physically human, but your feelings are. You're more human than I am, I’m technically a wax statue brought to life." 

Keith's long eyelashes brushed the skin just underneath his blazing irises, blinking rapidly. "What do you mean? Your body might be wax, but you're human. You can't possibly doubt—" 

"See my point?" Lance interrupted quickly, wincing at the mention of his debatable humanity. "Your body doesn't define your humanity." 

"I guess." 

The cry of a gull across the beach emphasized the uncomfortable silence between the two boys. 

"Um... Allura's going to get worried if I stay out any longer." 

"Bye then," Keith muttered, still prickly from Lance's questions. 

“Wait! There’s going to be a meteor shower the day after tomorrow… did you want to see it with me?” 

Keith stared at him, surprised. “Uh, sure. I’d like that. I’ll see you later.” 

Keith vanished, the positive vibe of their meeting tarnished by their awkward farewells. 

“Sometimes, I don’t understand him.” 

\- - -

Moonlight washed the silent beach in pale silvery light, reflecting in waves off the inky ocean water. Keith's conch shell sat heavily in Lance's hands as he ran his thumb over the smooth surface, thinking about the boy who'd given it to him. 

"You care for him, don't you?" 

Lance startled at the silky voice, jerking up to see a transparent man sitting beside him. 

"Lotor — you frightened me. What did you say?" 

The white haired man smiled, gesturing to the shell in Lance's hand. "You love Keith, don't you." 

Statement, not a question. Lance supposed it was easy to read someone when you spent twenty four hours a day with them. 

"I do. He's amazing. Simply amazing. I couldn't ask for a more perfect person to fall in love with." 

"But...?" 

"But I'm not convinced he loves me back." 

"Ah." 

"How did you and Allura meet?" 

Lotor's smile was wistful. "A few years ago, I lived in a place much different from this. It was a large town filled with hate, and I swore I'd leave as soon as I could. My father... was a cruel man, and my mother had passed on when I was small. One day, my father was screaming for the thousandth time about what a disappointment I was and I— I left. It was the last straw. I was done being the son he never wanted, so I took his boat and sailed until I arrived here. As soon as I stepped onto the shore, I began to destroy the boat. I tore at the sail and pounded on the wood until my hands bled and I was exhausted. I curled up on the beach and fell asleep. When I awoke, a beautiful girl was standing above me and helped me walk to her house. I fell asleep on the couch and after that, our relationship blossomed. Thanks to her kindness, I survived, and she helped me heal afterwards— physically and emotionally. And I made her less lonely. Her family was taken by a horrible disease a year or so before. She was the only one left." 

Lance was silent, processing the story. He'd wondered how Allura and Lotor met, but... the story made their relationship much more precious. He could imagine how terrified they'd both been — he stranded in an unfamiliar place, she startled by a helpless stranger. Their love story sounded beautiful... and Lance was the one who tore them apart. 

"I'm sorry I separated you two." 

Lotor stared incredulously at him. "Lance, it wasn't your fault. You had nothing to do with it." 

"But I took your life." 

"You didn't. Our world has a strange way of working. For whatever reason, this was meant to happen — and it is in no way your fault. So don't you dare feel bad about it." 

Lance nodded, stomach still churning with guilt. 

"Anyway... are you going to tell Keith how you feel when you see him?" 

Lance snorted, smiling in amusement. "As if I'm brave enough." 

"Of course you are. It's a matter of whether or not you're ready, that's all." 

Was he ready? No, and he probably never would be. Confessing love was dangerous and horribly unpredictable. There wasn't a way to know in advance if Keith felt the same way, so why risk it? 

"I don't know if I'll ever be ready to tell him." 

Lotor nodded in understanding, his eyes narrowing in thought. 

"Let me tell you something. In the earliest stages of our time together, Allura and I were obviously uncomfortable with each other. We didn't like talking, didn't like being around each other, and interacted as little as possible. But this one day, I walked into her art studio and saw her painting. She dabbled in lots of media, but painting was the thing she enjoyed best. She was making a portrait, and I was utterly fascinated. She was so delicate and precise with her brushes, so focused that she didn't realize I was there until I spoke. I told her she was a brilliant artist, to which she reluctantly replied that she was painting her father, who had died over a year before. After hearing this, I admitted that I had come here running from my father. She asked me about my life before and... something between us changed. After that incident, we grew closer and gained each other's trust until suddenly, we were a couple. What I'm trying to say is that in order to develop a relationship, you first must make yourself vulnerable. Without that awkward and personal interaction, we wouldn't have connected. Do you understand?" 

"I think so," Lance murmured. And he hoped he did. If he never tried to express his love to Keith, they might never be together. He needed to risk confessing to Keith if he ever wanted to progress their romantic relationship. 

"Thanks, Lotor." 

"I do hope you two end up happy." He faded into the night air with a reassuring smile. 

Lance stared at the conch shell in exasperation. He threw his hands in the air and yelled out to the ocean, "Why is love so complicated?!" 

Unsurprisingly, there was no replay from the black waters. 

"Feelings suck," he muttered, folding his arms over his chest and scowling. He'd see how Keith was acting, and maybe, maybe he'd confess. Probably not, though. 

He was still mulling over how Keith would react when he realized that he had to leave or risk being late to the meteor shower. He carefully placed Keith's shell on the flat top of a textured black rock, making sure it was steady, and smiled at it before unfurling his wings and taking off into the inky black night.

\- - -

Lance sped across the sky, spinning in fancy loops as he neared the desert. He zipped through the air, then slowed, sped up, and slowed. Was this a good idea? Maybe he shouldn’t have asked Keith to watch the meteor shower with him. Was it too romantic? Did Keith want it to be romantic? 

Lance sighed and sped up again, soaring across the sky to meet the Sun. 

\- - -

A bright spot of light caught Lance's attention. He dove towards it, smiling when he touched down softly on a blanket in front of Keith. 

"Hello," he said with a ridiculous grin, plopping onto the blanket beside the glowing boy. 

"Hey." 

Lance noticed Keith's skin was a bit dim compared to its usual shine. "You tired?" 

The Sun looked sheepishly at him, brushing a fist over his eyes and yawning. "Sorry, I am a little drowsy. I'm not usually up this late." 

Lance chuckled, leaning back and balancing on his elbows to look up at the sky. "It's fine, Keith. I don't mind." 

An awkward silence fell on the two boys. Lance fidgeted with the blanket and looked up at Keith. The Sun was gazing at the sky his eyes half-lidded. 

"Do you know when it's supposed to start? Pidge never told me a specific time." 

"Mmh," Keith hesitated. "Another five or ten minutes? I can sense it, but vaguely." 

"Cool." 

Another silence. 

Keith lie down on the blanket, turning his head to look at Lance. "By the way — Why ditch your friends for me? I mean, you could have just watched the meteor shower with them and avoided going all the way out here." 

"Keith, I don't mind coming out here for you." He chose his words carefully. "You're my friend too, and I care about you. Anyway, the Holts can be a little crazy. Pidge told me I might enjoy it more with you." 

The ghost of a smile appeared on Keith's lips. "I hope you will." 

"Of course I will, stupid. Why do you think I hang out with you? Because I enjoy it. Oh!" 

Lance exhaled softly, pointing at the black sky. "Look," 

A bright light streaked across the sky. Keith gasped, glancing at the winged boy in embarrassment at his reaction. Lance chuckled, nodding understandingly. Another meteor followed a minute later, then another after that, captivating the two boys. 

"It's gorgeous." Keith reached out towards the sky, letting his fingers trail lazily across the small lights. He lowered his arm back to his side, grinning at the phenomena. 

"Yeah," Lance choked, tilting his head to gaze at the mesmerized boy. "Yeah, it is." 

The glowing boy had an awed expression, gazing fixedly at the stars, not realizing he was being observed. His body shed a soft light on the area around them, his heat radiating onto Lance's body. 

"I'll never get tired of meteor showers," Keith breathed wistfully. 

And Lance would never get tired of Keith. He loved everything about the boy: his personality, his stubbornness, his shy smile, his laugh... He was beautiful. So incredibly beautiful. 

They watched in mesmerized silence, one at the sky, the other at his oblivious friend, as meteors zipped across the night sky every minute or two. The night was perfect. Calm and clear and warm, emphasized by Keith's hot skin flushing Lance's body with heat. 

Lance bit his lip, pulling at the wax skin and sighing gently. Keith turned his head to look at the wax boy, raising his eyebrows. "What is it?" 

Lance hesitated, avoiding Keith's gaze and picking at the soft threads of the blanket beneath him. "It's just..." 

He looked up at the glowing boy and felt something in his heart snap, something that sent a wave of emotion crashing over his mind and choking him up. Keith was ethereal and beautiful, but would never be his. 

"Nothing. It's nothing." 

"Are you sure? You seem preoccupied with something." 

Lance nodded, looking back at the sky. "I'm sure." 

"You can always talk to me if I need to." 

"I know, but nothing is bothering me. I'm totally fine. But the meteor shower is great, right?" 

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, evidently not fooled. "Yes, it is. You sure you wouldn't rather be with Pidge and Matt right now?" 

"Keith! We discussed this: there's no one I'd rather see this with." 

Immediately realizing how ridiculous that sounded, Lance scrambled to regain his dignity. 

"I mean, since this is so nice. I mean, it's nice, but I mean nicer than someone else — er, I mean, it's nice to see this with you rather than Pidge — She's great — you're great! I'm going to shut up now," he muttered, sliding his gaze away from Keith's gaze. 

Keith was chuckling, a hand in front of his mouth to cap the burst of laughter. "You're ridiculous, Lance. I know what you mean. You'd rather see the shower without ridicule. I'm not going to make fun of you." 

Not exactly what Lance was thinking, but it was better than Keith knowing his true feelings. "Yeah, that's what I mean. This is really cool — I've never seen a meteor shower before." 

"Really? I've seen lots, but I never get tired of them. They're so pretty — the bright contrast against the dark sky. Beautiful." 

Lance chuckled, tucking his arms behind his head to cushion it as he looked at the sky. 

"I wouldn't have thought you so poetic, Keith," he teased gently, hoping it smoothed over his awkward nervousness. 

"Oh, shut up. You've got to admit that it's pretty amazing." 

"Yeah." But he could think of something even more amazing, lying right next to him. 

The silence resumed, leaving Lance to try and wrangle the forbidden feelings stirring in his chest. It should have been so easy to just tell Keith how he felt. It was a simple confession, just three words. 

I love you. 

I. 

Love. 

You. 

The silence was suddenly unbearable. Nothing to interrupt it, not the song of a bird, not the words stuck in his throat. He couldn't do this anymore. He had to leave, to collect his thoughts before they all spilled gracelessly out of his mouth. Before he said something he'd regret. 

"I have to go." 

Keith looked at him in confusion, brows furrowed. "What?" 

Lance scrambled to his feet in a panic, hoping his expression conveyed the regret he felt. "I need to leave, now. I'm so sorry." 

"Leaving? Why? Lance!" The wax boy watched Keith quickly sit up, staring after him in utter bewilderment. 

"I'm sorry," Lance mumbled, backing up and spreading his wings to take off. 

"What's wrong? Lance! Don't you dare leave me! I need an explanation!" 

With a running start, Lance launched into the sky, huge wings carrying him high into the night sky. Ignoring Keith's indignant yells and the guilt throbbing in his chest, he sailed towards his home. 

It was brusque and childish, but Lance had to get away. He wasn't going to spend another minute risking rejection from Keith. 

He knew it was ridiculous. And it would sound ridiculous when he tried to explain it to Keith. He'd use a flimsy excuse, Keith would look at him with concern, and everything would go back to normal. 

Except... he didn't want normal. He wanted to love Keith. He wanted Keith to love him back. Was that such a terrible thing to ask for? 

"Stupid, stupid," he hissed into the night, air stinging his face as he sped across the dusty sand. He needed a break from feelings. He decided to visit Matt and Pidge — the meteor shower would continue for a few more hours, so hopefully they'd still be up and enjoying it. 

He swooped low over the Holt's house when it came into view, circling over the backyard and grinning weakly when Pidge and Matt caught sight of him. 

He dove towards the yard, landing gracefully in front of the siblings and bowing, trying to mask his unhappiness with a dramatic flourish. 

When he looked up, the two tawny haired teens gave him concerned looks. 

"God, what happened to you?" 

"Is it really that bad?" Lance asked softly. 

Matt nodded solemnly. "You look like shit, dude. What happened?" 

"It's just... it's Keith. I can't do it. I really like him and I can't tell him because I'm too damn scared that he's going to reject me. I'm terrified and it's stupid, but I really want him to love me." 

Matt and Pidge listened as he sobbed his love story, or rather lack of a love story. Lance was sure it was painful to watch, but they did it — and comforted him while he broke apart. He wasn't even sure why he was acting this way — nothing changed, nothing happened. But maybe that was the problem. Nothing was ever going to happen because he was too damn scared to make it happen. 

\- - -

He woke up the next morning in his own bed, disoriented and sore. Allura peeked into his room and asked in a gentle voice if he needed anything. Lance told her no, he didn't, and proceeded to fall asleep again. 

\- - -

He really didn't want to face Keith. 

Allura hovered nervously over him as he moped around the house, refusing to go anywhere. Hunk, Pidge and Matt all visited and failed to coax him outside. 

Allura understood that he needed space. "I hate seeing you like this, Lance. However, I'm not going to force you outside. Go when you're ready." 

So he stayed inside, staring out the window without really seeing anything. 

\- - -

And then something changed. 

Lance had no idea how long he'd held himself captive in his suffocating house. He was lying in bed on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling and thinking of nothing when a quiet tapping sound came from his window. 

At first, he ignored it. He didn't want to see who it was, didn't want to face them. But the tapping continued, growing faster until a muffled voice called his name. 

"Lance!" 

He sat up, turning to stare at the window. Keith was rapping his nails on the glass of the window, giving him a pleading look. 

Lance couldn't help himself. His breath hitched at the sight of the one person he'd desperately wanted for what seemed like forever, his glowing face so perfect in the soft daylight. 

Lance walked over to the window and unlatched it, pushing it up and kneeling for his face was even with Keith's. 

"I'm sorry." 

Keith shook his head, placing his hands on the edge of the window. "Listen to me. I don't care what happened there that night. Whatever happened then — we can forget it. It's up to you. We can pretend it never happened and move on." 

"Or?" 

"...or we could decide not to forget." 

Lance held his gaze, their faces inches apart. "And where would that leave us?" 

Keith's eyes were so pretty. Fiery and intense and beautiful, boring into his with fierce intensity. 

"Wherever you'd like." 

Lance wanted him. Desperately. Friendship was wonderful, but he yearned for more. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Absolutely." 

And they were kissing. Lance wasn't sure who leaned in or who kissed who, but he couldn't care less at this point. Keith's mouth was hot and alive against his, desperate and needy and better than he'd ever imagined. Keith reached forward to put his hands on the back of Lance's neck, kissing his harder. 

Lance pulled away, gasping, staring at Keith and internally screaming. 

"Did that just... happen?" 

Keith grinned softly. "It most certainly did just happen." 

\- - -

And they fell in love, just like that. They slid easily into a romantic relationship, exchanging shy kisses and holding hands like they'd been doing it forever. It was so natural that Lance almost couldn't believe he'd been scared to do this. 

"You're beautiful," Keith said shyly as they sat by the creek where one of their previous meetings had taken place. 

“You’re adorable.” 

Keith blushed, smiling. “Shut up, Lance.” 

And so their meetings went. Another time, they met in the desert, talking and kissing and embracing. It was better than Lance had hoped — nearly too pleasant. It made Lance the tiniest bit uneasy. 

\- - -

The two boys walked hand in hand on the beach, smiling shyly at each other in the fading sunlight. Keith's hand was warm in Lance's, his happy smile filling Lance's chest with joy. 

"You're adorable," he teased, pausing their walk to lean forward and slip his hand onto Keith's cheek, pecking the Sun's lips while trying not to giggle. 

Keith grinned, playfully pushing Lance an arm's length away. 

"Oh, shut up. You're the adorable one." 

"No, you are!" Lance stepped forward and barraged Keith's neck and cheeks with tiny kisses, wrapping his arms around the glowing boy. Keith giggled uncontrollably, squirming in Lance's arms. 

"Lance — ah — stop it!" He stumbled backwards and fell onto the sand, bringing Lance down on top of him while still laughing. 

"Keith! Are you okay?" Lance asked, scrambling to get off of Keith and make sure he wasn't hurt. 

"Yeah, I'm okay." 

Lance smiled down at Keith. The boy was still splayed in the sand, grinning up at his lover. 

Gray fingers brushed golden ones, twining and locking together, heat flowing between them. Keith's hand lit up, light traveling across his skin and illuminating the beach around them. 

"And what emotion is that?" Lance teased, extending his other hand to brush Keith's bangs out of his eyes. 

"It's happiness, stupid," Keith muttered, tugging Lance's hand so his head fell forward, lips slotting with Keith's. The wax boy fell next to him on the sand, unclasping their fingers to tangle his fingers in Keith's hair. 

"You're so freaking beautiful," Keith gasped, breaking the kiss and smiling at Lance. His expression suddenly twisted, eyes wide in horror. 

"What? What is it?" Lance asked, panicked. 

"It's... your face." Keith lifted a hand, as if about to touch Lance before bringing it back down again and giving Lance a pained look. "You're melting." 

He reached out and took Lance's hand, examining it for a moment before dropping it like it burned and sitting up, moving backwards in a flurry of motion. "Your hand, Lance — did I do that? This is all my fault—" 

"Keith, no!" Lance sat up, reaching out and taking the terrified boy's hand. "No, it's fine. It isn't your fault. It heals on its own. I'm fine." 

Keith stared at him in horror, shaking his head. "Does it hurt?" 

Lance hesitated, unable to lie. "A little." 

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, wrenching his hands away from Lance as the heat drained from his body, leaving him dim and scared. 

"I don't want to hurt you." 

"Keith, you're not hurting me. I don't mind at all if it means I get to be with you. Come on, look at me—" Keith slowly opened his eyes, looking at Lance unhappily. "It's not your fault. Please don't think about it — I swear I don't mind. It doesn't matter." 

Keith looked at him uneasily. "I'm not going to hurt you." 

"It hurts when you stay away from me." 

The two stared at each other in the near darkness, their only light coming from Keith's dim body. 

"Fine." 

Lance smiled reassuringly, opening his arms in an inviting gesture, smirking and teasing, "How are you ever going to keep your hands off me?" 

Keith accepted his embrace, pressing his face into the crook of Lance's neck. With his face hidden, he couldn't see the wax trickling down Lance's temples, or the wax boy's worried expression. 

"That's what I'm asking myself."

\- - -

The ruthless heat of Keith's cheeks burned Lance's palms, softening the gray wax so it dripped down his fingers, running along his wrists to his cool gray elbows. Keith's soft arms wrapped around Lance's waist, heat radiating from them. Wax dripped from Lance's delicate wings, feathers melting and blurring together. Keith's luminous eyes locked on Lance's face, and he smiled softly. 

"Keith?" 

The glowing boy hummed, sending warm vibrations through Lance's chest, raising his eyebrows curiously. 

"We need to talk," he swallowed nervously. "I'm leaving you." 

The heat left with a single heartbeat, leaving Keith cold and dim. The Sun furrowed his brow, panic starting to set in his eyes. 

"Leaving? Did you say you were leaving?" Keith's body had gone cold, his usual light dim and weak. 

"Y-yeah. Yes. I can't do this anymore, Keith." 

Lance eyed the Sun's fingers, which were slowly getting brighter, and Lance could tell they'd burn if Keith touched him. 

"You are not leaving me." 

"You can't make me stay!" 

"Don't leave me, Lance! I won't let you- I need you!" 

Lance gently pulled Keith's arms off his waist and stepped back, head low and lips pursed. "But I don't need you." 

Keith's hands burst into flame, his whole body going hot with it. "No!" He thrust out a hand before thinking better of it a second before he touched Lance. The heat from his hovering hand caused a bead of melted wax to roll down Lance's shoulder. 

"You can't leave me!" Keith screamed, withdrawing his hand and glaring daggers at Lance. 

The wax boy gave Keith a long, sad look before turning and walking away from him. 

"W- now? You're leaving now? Wait! Lance! You promised you wouldn't leave me..." his hands flared with dangerous energy, stretched out pleadingly towards Lance. "Wait, we can... I can... We can work this out." 

Lance continued his walk out the maw of the cave, ignoring Keith's pleas. 

"Lance!" Keith let out a strangled cry, the heat fading from his body as his love walked away. Smoke drifted from his fingers as he fell to his knees, eyes pleading. 

 

This was the cave where their relationship began, with moody banter and snappy comebacks. At the time, they never suspected how they would become best friends, never dreamt that friendship would blossom into a passionate, burning romance. 

This was the cave where their relationship started, and it would be the place where it finally ended. Without turning around, Lance paused to say one last thing to his ex-lover. 

“This is… wrong. I know what we said before. I know I told you I could handle it, that we could get through anything together. But it’s too much right now. Goodbye, Keith.” 

Lance spread his wings and, with a gust of air, launched into the sky. 

"No!" Keith cried, jumping to his feet and running to the mouth of the cave and stretching his arms out to the sky, but it was no use - Lance was gone. 

"Stay..." Keith whispered, heat completely extinguished. "You promised..." 

The tip of Keith's right index finger flickered orange. 

"You promised." 

\- - -

Lance flew over the desert sand, heart beating wildly. By angering the Sun, he could have potentially just signed his own death warrant. The Sun was an extremely dangerous enemy. 

Time slipped by, day into twilight, stars peeking through the indigo sky. Lance had barely registered that the scenery below him had shifted, sand dunes traded for bare trees. He slowed his pace, flapping his wings and landing on grassy ground. The forest was eerily silent. There were no animals scuffling in the dirt, no birds singing, no cicadas chirping or wind whistling. As if the whole forest was holding its breath, waiting... 

Lance looked into the forest, squinting in the fading light and unnerved by the silence. A sour taste rose in his throat as he slowly spread his wings, ready to take off at a moment's notice. 

And the trees burst into flame. 

Bright orange flames surrounded Lance, instantly brightening the dark forest. Fear gripped the wax boy, consuming him like the fire consumed the trees. He needed to get out of here. Fast. 

He spread his wings to fly away, only to realize that the feathers were melting at an alarming pace. He feared the strain of flying would destroy them completely, so he sprinted in a random direction, praying it would take him away from the fire. 

Keith, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. 

He tore through the flames, his body engulfed in pain. Everything burned, everything was melting. Lance felt wax melt and drip down his temples, his neck, his chest, his very life slipping away. 

He couldn't believe that Keith would actually kill him. Their relationship would never work anyway, so it was bound to happen sometime. He knew Keith would be angry, but he'd never dreamt that the Sun would try and murder him. 

Lance kept running through an endless scene of trees and fire, trees and fire and death. He didn't waste breath pleading to Keith. The Sun might not even hear him, and it could make him even angrier. 

Finally, when Lance felt like he was nearly melted beyond repair, the trees became far and few between. The grass at his feet, however, was still burning, melting Lance's feet as he ran. 

Lance's tore through the landscape, breath coming in heaving gasps, absolutely exhausted. 

Then, as if his prayers had been answered, rain started to fall from the sky. The wet drops extinguished the bits of grass still on fire, cooling the searing pain that consumed Lance's whole body. He winced as the water made contact, painfully aware of his injuries. He cautiously tried to stretch his wings, shocked by the terrible pain that shot through his back when he did. 

He reached around his back, groping carefully for the delicate wax wings. His fingers brushed shapeless stumps where his gorgeous wings had once been, sending horrible pain through his upper back. He hissed and closed his eyes, devastated, knowing his wings were no more. 

He brought his melted fingers to his face, gently feeling how the fire had stolen the sharpness of his features and blurred them without hesitation. 

"Keith," he whispered, the word a plea, a question, an accusation. He ran his fingers through his melted hair in frustration, angry tears pooling helplessly in his eyes, slipping down his burned cheeks. His tears quickly changed to loud sobs that wracked his scorched body and covered his face with his singed hands, collapsing onto the ground and weeping shamelessly. 

"Keith, I'm so sorry, how could you do this to me? Keith, why would you hurt me, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." he rambled, voice stretched thin with desperation. 

Stars twinkled in the night sky as Lance's sobs echoed through the still night air, tearing through tree branches and reaching the Sun's dwelling. 

The Sun was huddled in a corner of the room, mechanically stroking Red and staring blankly at the wall as wrenched screams echoed over and over in his ears, pitiful sobs ricocheting off the walls of his mind. 

The boy and fox sat in silence, listening to the broken sobs of Keith's ex-lover. Keith's heart ached when he heard Lance beg for forgiveness and demand to know why Keith would hurt him. 

"He knows why I hurt him," Keith whispered over the distant howls, bringing his hands up to his chest and illuminating them, trying to warm his freezing heart. "He promised he would stay." 

"Keith," Red murmured gently. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do? I know he told you he wouldn't leave, but you knew what you were getting into when you decided to express your love for him." 

Keith sighed, the sound long and dejected. "He promised it would work out. I thought it would be different." 

"Those who fly too close to the Sun are burned," Red reminded him. Keith's breath hitched, a golden tears streaming down his cheeks, dripping from his chin as Lance's screams reverberated around his conscience. 

"You two were bound to break." 

\- - -

One Year Later

Lance sat on a large, flat rock by the ocean, twirling the stem of a daisy between his wax fingers. He plucked a tiny white petal and let it flutter into the water, carried away by the tranquil waves rolling onto the shore. 

The Sun beamed down on the landscape, washing the world in its intense heat. It reminded Lance of the boy he'd once loved, warm hands clasping his, and how full he'd felt when holding his beloved. Lance tore off another petal, sending it into the water. 

"Lance?" 

The wax boy turned when he heard Allura, spotting her stepping carefully over rocks to reach him. 

He looked back down at his flower, locking his gaze on it as Allura sat next to him. 

"How are you feeling? Truly, I mean. Don't just tell me you're fine." 

Lance shrugged, sending another petal spiraling into the ocean. "I feel empty." 

Allura put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Lance, please look at me." 

The boy looked up, his eyes dim and lifeless. 

"I know you miss him, darling, I really do. But you can't spend your whole life moping about it. You must learn to move on, or you'll never heal." 

Lance threw the flower to the ground, threading his fingers together and looking down at them, away from Allura. 

"But I loved him. He was everything to me." 

"I know, I know. But you couldn't be with him without getting hurt. It's better this way." 

"But it's not." 

Allura bit her lip, frowning in frustration. "You need to let yourself heal. Isn't there anything you can do to make it better? Any way to find some sort of closure?" 

Lance looked out at the horizon, considering. 

"I could travel like I used to." 

Allura flinched at the allusion to the loss of Lance's wings. "I suppose you could, if it would help. Would you walk?" 

Lance grimaced, his eyes fluttering shut. "Yeah, I'd walk. In fact, I should go now." 

"Now? But Lance, isn't that a little—" 

"I'm going now. You can tell Shiro that I'll be back in a week or two." He stood, brushing the sand off his pants and began traipsing across the beach, leaving footprints in his wake. 

"Lance — wait! Please don't just leave like this." 

The wax boy turned back, fixing Allura with a mournful gaze and said, "Don't worry about me. I just need a little time to heal, like you said. I'll be back soon." 

Allura sputtered as he strode across the hot sand, swiftly and with purpose. 

"I didn't mean for you to go so soon," she whispered when he was out of earshot. "I just want you to be happy..." 

\- - -

It took Lance two days to reach the desert where he had spent most of their time together. Two days of trudging and hiking and loneliness, long days and long nights of traveling just to reach this desert. 

He wandered over the sand dunes, bare feet slipping in the loose particles. Once he couldn't see anything on the horizon but sand, sand, and more sand, he squinted into the ruthless Sun and yelled with all the energy and desperation he could muster. 

"Keith!" 

He walked for two days to the place where he knew Keith loved, spent all that time suffering for the slim chance of seeing his ex-lover once more. 

"Keith!" 

The Sun had melted his skin, destroyed his wings, and torn his heart into tiny pieces. He'd taken everything from Lance without a word of apology, not a single attempt at communication. But somehow, Lance still wanted him. He needed Keith, needed the Sun's warmth and comforting arms. Their relationship had ended horribly, but there was no denying that the couple was head-over-heels for each other. They fit like puzzle pieces, like a key fit a lock, the yin to each other's yang. The only problem was that they couldn't help but hurt each other. 

"KEITH!" Lance screamed, his voice breaking as he realized the Sun wasn't going to respond. "I can't live without you..." 

He stared pleading at the Sun, his eyes aching from the bright light. 

"So you've decided to come back." 

Lance whipped around, relief flooding him when his eyes locked on a golden figure standing with folded arms a meter or so away, arms folded protectively over his chest. 

"Keith..." he breathed, his eyes wide, expression shocked. "I didn't think you'd come." 

"Neither did I." The Sun moved forward until he was just in front of Lance staring the wax boy down with a hard glare. Lance noticed the way his skin glowed, deceptively calm — a dangerous light was concealed just below the surface of his skin. 

"So why are you here, Lance? Come to break even more promises? Because I really don't think you can hurt me any more than you already have." 

The wax boy locked eyes with Keith, sincerity obvious in his voice as he said quietly but firmly, "Keith, I need you to know that I am so, so sorry for hurting you. I was so scared of being hurt and that you loved me for whatever I wasn't, but that's no excuse for leaving you so suddenly like I did. For the past year I've felt so terrible and empty... and I miss you. I miss you so, so much. I came here to tell you that I know I hurt you, and you hurt me, but despite everything that's happened... I still love you. God, I love you. I can't live without you. You make me feel whole, you complete me." 

The wax boy reached out to take Keith's hands, surprised when the other boy whipped them behind his back and looking away from Lance. 

"I don't want to hurt you, Lance," he said, voice thin and tearful. He lifted his gaze to stare at Lance, his eyes smoldering like twin flames. 

"Then why did you do it?" Lance held Keith's gaze, his features sharp and angry. "Keith, I nearly died that night. And it was all your fault. You tried to kill me." 

The Sun grimaced, eyes softening, lips parting. "I... I didn't mean to..." 

"Didn't mean to? What the hell, Keith! Are you trying to said you attempted to murder me by accident? Because it didn't feel like an accident! My wings are gone, and it's all your fault." A silver tear made its way down his cheek. "You took the one thing that made me feel free." 

Keith growled, throwing his arms up in frustration. "What do you want me to do, Lance? I'm sorry, okay? I was hurt and furious, and I couldn't help it. I didn't want you to die, I was just so hurt that you'd just leave like that. You're not the only one who lost something precious that day. I lost the only person I'd ever felt a connection to, and have spent every day mourning that loss. At least you have things to distract yourself. I just sit in the sky and think about how terrible it feels to be unwanted." 

Lance stared incredulously at him, shaking his head. "You weren't unwanted, Keith. It wasn't you... it was what happened when we were together. I loved you so much, Keith. I still do." 

Keith's whole body burst into a bright orange color, the tips of his fingers actually flickering with tiny flames. His expression was twisted in anger, eyes brimming with luminescent tears. 

"Why did you come here if you were just going to tease and tempt me? You know we can't be together; you saw what happened. I still want you more than anything, but it will never work." 

Lance reached out to take Keith's hands again, gripping them tightly and ignoring the searing pain that tore through him when he touched him. "But it can! We can be together; we love each other too much not to be. We can make our relationship work, I promise!" 

Keith wrenched his hands from Lance's grip, his voice strangled. "Don't promise that!" 

They stared at each other for an eternal moment, both of their expressions pain-stricken. 

"Don't promise that..." Keith repeated, quieter and sadder. "You know it will never work. Hold up your hands." 

Lance lifted his fingers, examining the half-melted wax. "That doesn't matter. I heal when it happens, we just can't touch for too long." 

Keith shook his head frantically. "But it hurts you. I refuse to be with you as long as it hurts you." 

"We don't have to touch." 

"Of course we do! We can't spend our whole lives tiptoeing around each other. We need to move on." 

Lance ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation, scowling at Keith. "But can you?" 

"I'm the Sun. I don't need a lover to survive." 

"Liar." 

"I'm not lying! If we stay together — we'll both get hurt." 

"Keith, we can work it out. We just—" 

"You are not understanding what I'm saying," Keith hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm going to die." 

That couldn't be right. He assumed that Keith lived longer than a normal person, being a supernatural creature. "What do you mean, 'die'?" 

"I mean die. I'm going to die, and I think it's because I've spent all this time with you. I was stupid, thinking you could be with me. I knew I'd hurt you, but I didn't realize you hurt me until it was too late." 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

Keith held out a hand, palm facing down, fingers hardly glowing at all. Lance reached out and gently skimmed a finger over the back of his hand, turning it over and audibly gasping. 

The skin of Keith's palm had turned bright, blood red, contrasting horribly with the soft orange glow of his normal skin. Tiny veins of color snaked around his fingers and up his wrist, sickening Lance. 

"What— what is this?" 

Keith looked away. "When a star runs out of hydrogen fuel, it dies. I don't run on hydrogen, but I realized I do live off of something else. My purpose is to observe people, not to try and be one. By loving you, and letting you love me back, I ignored my purpose — to learn, not act. And I'm—" he choked up, tears pooling in his eyes as he shook his hand from Lance's grasp. "I'm really scared. We set my death into motion, and without me, the real Sun dies. This world is going to be destroyed if I don't do something." 

"Hey, Keith," Lance whispered softly, fighting to keep his voice even. "We're going to figure this out. We can fix it." 

Keith shook his head, suddenly bursting into frustrated tears. "We can't. We can't fix this. The only way to solve this is to give my powers to someone else so they become the Sun, but I don't know anyone who'd do that. They'd probably lose all their memories from the past and couldn't be around humans." 

Lance hesitated only a moment. "I'll do it." 

"Shut up," Keith snarled, wiping his eyes and giving Lance a furious glare. "I'm not letting you do that." 

"But—" 

"No." 

Lance gave Keith a long look, their pained expressions mutual. 

"Then what are we going to do?" 

\- - -

Falling in love again was slower. Harder. 

It didn't happen right away, or all at once. They faded into love, once again ignoring the odds that told them they'd never be happy together. They both knew it was sheer idiocy to fall in love again. It was the reason Keith was dying, after all. But some feelings don't fade. Some roots grow too deep to ever remove completely. 

"We can't do this," Keith breathed as they lay on the desert ground as the quiet night air settled around their still bodies. Red lines ran all the way up his arms now, curled around his shoulders. 

"I know," Lance whispered. "But I can't stop myself." 

"Meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me. Even though it's what will kill me, there's no point in me avoiding you now. Even if I never saw you again, I'd still die. It's too late. But... I'd hurt you if I died. And it would kill everything on this planet. I... I don't have a solution to this." 

"We're going to figure something out, Keith." 

The stakes were too high for them not to. 

\- - -

"I can do it." 

Lance's head snapped up, turning to look at Lotor in surprise. 

"What?" 

The tall man sat down next to Lance, giving him a sad smile. 

"I can take Keith's place as the Sun." 

Lance's mouth snapped open, sputtering in shock. 

"What? Lotor, I can't let you do that. There's no way." 

"Lance, listen to me. My time here is done. Being tied to you has no benefits for either of us. Perhaps if I take on this role, I'll get some of my humanity back." 

Lance shook his head in disbelief, completely taken aback. Lotor had been a part of him his entire life. Lotor was the reason he was even alive. 

"Wait a minute. If you're why I'm alive... will it kill me when you leave?" 

The question hung in the air. Lotor looked surprised, standing up and pacing in front of Lance. 

"I see what you mean... I'm not entirely sure. Though if I caused you to come to life... I'm not sure. It all depends on how much you rely on me as a life source. If the answer is a lot... then you'll probably die." 

"But if I don't, Keith will die." 

"Yes, unfortunately. Lance, if you're uncomfortable with this, we don't have to do it. We can figure out another way—" 

"I can't let Keith die, but we seriously need to think about this before deciding on doing it. Like, can you even take on that role? Are you... forgive me... human enough? There's a lot of risk involved in this, but it would be worth it if it will work. And... you'd probably forget everything. Even Allura." 

Lotor let out a sigh full of sadness, nodding. "I know. It would be the same situation as you and Keith have. But Lance, you must understand that there comes a time when a person must let go. We cannot hold onto the past forever — it slips through our fingers like desert sand. We can recall the feeling of the sand, and the way it looks, but it is gone once it leaves your fingers. Though I will always love Allura... now is the time to let go. I've spent too long anchored to this realm — and it's not your fault at all. I enjoy your company, Lance, but this is where I leave you. This is a better fate than anything on Earth can provide." 

"Lotor, no. It's not fair at all to you. You'd forget everything... everyone... and be constantly lonely. I can't let you do this. There's too much risk — you could die in the process!" 

"Unlikely. My spirit would simply take on Keith's powers, and he would... presumably become mortal. I'd suppose it would be like he'd never become the Sun in the first place... unless he dies when I take his powers." 

Lance shook his head wildly, his mind overwhelmed by all the risks involved in the saving of his lover and his world. Keith or Lotor could end up dead, and none of it was guaranteed to work. Though he couldn't think of another, better option, Lance was reluctant to accept this one. 

"We need to talk to Keith about this. That's not a yes on my behalf, mind you. I want to see what he thinks of this idea." 

"That's fine. We can talk about it when he gets back." 

A beat of silence passed before Lance quietly murmured, "Do you really think it could work?" 

"I don't know. Hypothetically, yes, but I don't know if it will work in reality. It should be simple... Keith would give his powers to me, and it would hopefully be enough to break the bond between us." 

"Hopefully? This doesn't even sound probable." 

"It makes sense on some levels. By giving me his role as the personification of the Sun, it would transfer that humanity to me and possibly be enough separate you and I." 

"There are too many things that could go wrong." 

"Lance, listen. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I'm confident in the plan. Think about it — we will all die if I don't do this. Every person on this planet. It must be me." 

As much as he wanted to argue, Lance couldn't think of anything to say. It made sense, in a horrible way. It could work. But it was hard to accept. 

"We'll ask Keith. I don't have an answer yet." 

\- - -

Keith wasn't as disturbed as Lance thought he would be when he explained his situation with Lotor, and agreed that his plan was their best bet. 

"This doesn't change anything," Keith promised when Lance told him how Lotor was the reason for his life. 

Lance reluctantly accepted the plan, trying to tell himself that it was fine, this would work, they'd all be fine. 

"And you're okay with losing your memory?" Keith asked Lotor when the spirit appeared to him. 

Lotor nodded solemnly. "Yes. This life has been good to me, but I'm ready to start over." 

Lance nodded in understanding, sadness spreading through his chest. "Then... we'd better go say our goodbyes."

\- - -

Lance told Keith and Lotor he didn't want to tell his other friends what they had planned. He hoped he'd live to see his them again, and couldn't bear to say goodbye. However, he wouldn't go through with the plan without saying goodbye to Allura. 

"Wait out here for a minute, okay? I don't want her going off on you, too," Lance told Keith as they stood outside his house, preparing to face the wrath of his sister. 

"Okay." 

Lance turned to the tall man at his side and scraped together a pained smile. "Are you ready?" 

Lotor stared stoically at the front door. "Yes." 

Lance pushed the door open, shooting one last regretful gaze at Keith as he stepped inside. 

He'd barely stepped over the threshold when a figure flew to him, crashing into his body with full force. 

Allura wrapped her arms around him, sobbing frantically and babbling into his shoulder. 

"Oh my god, Lance you could have died. I was so worried, so scared for you..." 

She pushed away from him and slapped his cheek, sending a spike of pain through it. 

"Don't you ever run off like that again! Do you know how scared I was? I'm used to you leaving, but that was unnecessary. And then he came and told me that you were in the desert and wouldn't be coming back for who knows how long... Who wouldn't be upset? The boy that nearly killed you and you were with him. I was terrified." 

She buried her face in his shoulder again, gasping and crying. 

"Allura, calm down. I'm fine. I promise I'm fine — Keith didn't hurt me. I know I shouldn't have left, but I wasn't thinking." 

"That's obvious. Really, Lance, just leaving like that..." She pulled back and shook her head, moving to the parlor and sinking into the plush fabric seat. 

"I know it was reckless and impulsive, but I had to. You can't blame Keith... he hurt me. He knows that, and he regrets it — but Lulu, I hurt him too. What we did wasn't okay, but we forgive each other. I'm happy again." 

"Lance, all I want is for you to be happy... but is this wise? You nearly died because of him." 

"I'm certain this is the right thing to do. I love him." 

Allura exhaled slowly, her head falling into her hands. "I know he made you happy. And if he still does... then he's a good thing for you. But if he hurts you again—" 

"He won't. I swear." 

"If you think so." 

Lotor cleared his throat, reminding Lance of his presence. The wax boy locked eyes with the man, who nodded. Lance flicked his eyebrows up, as if asking if he was sure. 

"Now is the time. She is strong, and can handle it." 

"Will you tell her?" 

Allura's head snapped up at Lance's words. "What? Are you talking to Lotor?" 

Lotor nodded, and closed his eyes, brows drawn in concentration. He must have materialized in front of Allura, because she gasped and jumped to her feet. 

"I'll leave you both to talk in private," Lance murmured almost guility. A sick feeling was spreading through his chest, one that reminded him of what was to come. Even if none of them died, they may never see Lotor again, and their memories may not remain intact. It was ridiculously dangerous — but also their only choice. He stepped quickly out the front door, closing it gently behind him and noticing Keith sitting on the porch steps. Lance swung his legs over the steps and sat beside the glowing boy. 

"Doing okay?" 

Keith was staring out at the flat, sandy ground, his gaze blank. "Not really." 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

"Not really." 

"...Is there anything I can do?" 

"Not to be annoyingly repetitive, but not really. I just don't want to hurt anyone more than I already have." 

"You're not going to hurt anyone. We're going to transfer your powers, and everything is going to be fine." 

"What about Lotor? He's going to forget everything... everything he loves..." 

"And he's okay with that. Lotor isn't happy being anchored to Earth. You're giving him a wonderful opportunity, Keith." 

"Lance... what if I forget everything?" 

Keith couldn't forget everything. Could he? That couldn't happen. Lance wouldn't let it happen. The thought wormed its way deeper into his mind. Was he sure? Would Keith forget him? 

"You won't. I won't let you forget." He tried to give Keith a reassuring smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. 

\- - -

Even from outside, Keith and Lance could hear the female screams that erupted from the house a few minutes after Lance had left the room. 

The words were indistinguishable, but the meaning was clear: Allura was not at all happy with Lotor's decision. Which, of course, was understandable. Expected, even. Lance only hoped the spirit could convince his lover that this was what he wanted, and it was the best thing for everyone. 

"I feel guilty for tearing them apart," Keith rasped in a quiet voice. 

"You're not tearing them apart. First of all, this is Lotor's choice. It's what he wants. He isn't happy where he is, and Allura will understand that. She'll need to let go of the past and move on." 

Lance hoped Lotor knew what he was doing. Giving up his memories and his place on Earth seemed impossible to do to Lance, but he could understand Lotor's mentality. Being a ghost visible to only one person couldn't be pleasant. And though there wasn't a doubt in Lance's mind that the spirit loved Allura, the two had changed. Lotor knew trying to keep their relationship alive wasn't good for either of them. 

"This is just... too hard. Do you realize that after today, we might be dead? I might not remember you at all?" 

"That's not going to happen—" 

"You don't know that!" Keith yelled, slamming his palm on the wooden steps and startling Lance. The wax boy stared at him, expression surprised and worried. 

"I— I'm so sorry, Lance. I didn't mean to get angry, I just... I'm really scared. I don't—" His voice broke, on the verge of tears. "I don't want to lose you again." 

Lance reached out tentatively, the tips of his fingers skimming along Keith's knuckles, ignoring the heat flaring from his skin. He gently lifted the Sun's hand and brought it to his lips, leaving light kisses on his knuckles. Keith's skin was hot against his mouth and hand, the pain scorching, but Lance couldn't care less. 

"Lance — stop, you're going to hurt yourself." 

Lance paused, meeting Keith's worried eyes and whispering, "You said it yourself — we might not be alive come tomorrow. Therefore, I'm not losing any time with you." 

"But—" 

"Shh..." 

He planted a soft kiss on the back of Keith's hand before twining their fingers together and using the other to cup the other boy's cheek, exhaling softly as his eyes flicked across Keith's face. 

"I love you." 

"Lance, please don't make this harder for either of us." 

"I love you more than anything. I know our relationship is complicated, but in a few hours that will all be solved — for better, or for worse. But right now... I just want to be with you, okay?" 

"Okay..." 

"Can I kiss you?" 

Keith nodded, tightening his grip on Lance's hand as the wax boy leaned in and kissed him. Lance slid his hand from Keith's face to his neck. His lips were so warm, so achingly hot as they both pulled each other closer. Lance could feel hot wax trickling down his fingers, palm burning as Keith gripped it. It hurt, but it would be nothing compared to the pain he would feel if he lost Keith again. 

He didn't realizing Keith was crying until he felt the boy shudder and pull away. 

He untangled their hands and touched Keith's cheek, stroking the warm skin to dry his burning tears. "Are you okay? Keith, please talk to me. Are you alright?" 

"I love you," Keith hiccuped, burying his face in the crook of Lance's neck. 

From high above, a seagull screamed, its cry mournful and ragged. Lance felt like screaming, too, in sheer anger at their difficult situation. 

"I love you, too." 

And that was all he could think to say. 

\- - -

They decided to do the exchange of power at the beach by Lance's house, just before the Sun's light started to fade and turn to dark. 

"Are you ready?" Keith asked in a hushed tone, locking eyes with Lotor as Lance stood beside the spirit. 

"Yes," the spirit said firmly, eyes closing. 

"Hands up, please." 

Lance watched them both hold their palms out, hands pressed together. 

"Okay. Here we go." Keith's shoulders rose as he took a deep breath and shut his eyes. 

Lance watched as Keith's hands immediately flared deep orange, making Lotor flinch and grimace. The glow spread up Keith's arms, down his neck and up his face until his whole body was radiating intense heat that Lance could feel even from this distance. 

Their expressions was twisted in pain and concentration, muscles straining as Keith's light slowly spread to Lotor's hands, leaving Keith's body just as it had spread. Lotor grunted in pain as the glow moved steadily up his arms, making him look more solid. 

The glow had reached Lotor's shoulders when an excruciating stab pain shot through Lance's body, causing him to double over and cry out. He felt a thousand knives stab him from every direction, everywhere on his body, blinding him as he fell to his knees. He wasn't sure if the horrible screaming he heard was his or if it belonged the other two. He was being torn apart, his very core being ripped to pieces. 

And it stopped. Lance lay gasping on his stomach, sand all over his body. He groaned, lifting his head to look around. 

What had just happened? Lotor was receiving Keith's powers... and then there was pain. What had happened to the others? 

Lance hauled himself up into a sitting position, his heart stopping as he saw two still bodies face down on the ground. 

He crawled over to them, shaking the two furiously. 

"Wake up, wake up," he muttered, still disoriented. "Please!" 

The glowing person sat up slowly, blinking at Lance in confusion. He realized in surprise that it was Lotor. The exchange must have been successful. 

"Where am I? Who are you? I must... I must leave." He spoke groggily, as if he weren't quite awake yet. Lance's heart sank. Though he knew Lotor was nearly guaranteed to forget him, it still hurt. 

"I must leave. Farewell— whoever you may be." Lotor vanished, just like Keith used to when leaving. 

Keith. 

Lance turned his attention to the boy collapsed on the ground, turning him over and brushing the sand off his cheeks. 

Though he was terrified, Lance realized he'd never quite appreciated color as much as he did now. Everything that had been a shade of glowing gold was now different — not normal, as that implied the effect was underwhelming. And it most certainly was not. 

His hair was black as midnight — funny, considering he had been the Sun. Pale skin, pink lips, eyes closed and still. Lance put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. 

"Keith? Keith, can you hear me?" 

There — his lips parted, eyes opening wide in surprise. They were violet, and just intense as Lance had always know them. 

He smiled at Keith, heart slowing down to a normal speed. 

"Who are you?" 

Lance frowned, dread beginning to build in his chest. "I'm Lance, remember? We... we're in love. Don't you remember me?" 

Keith pushed himself up, his gaze nearly angry. "I don't know you." 

"Yes, you do. Remember me? Do you remember when we first met... it was raining, and we fought with each other. But then we started to understand each other, and we started dating. Don't you remember that cave? The creek?" 

Keith shook his head, eyes wide with discomfort. 

"God, Keith, please try and remember. Like when we met on the beach, and you beat me at shell collecting. When we watched the meteor shower and I ran away from you. When we finally kissed for the first time. Oh, Keith, please try," he choked, starting to sob. "Please try to remember. I love you. God, I love you more than anything. Come back to me. Please remember." 

He pressed his palms to his eyes, crying with no shame. The Keith he knew was gone. He didn't remember Lance at all. 

"Please, Keith. I promise I'll never leave you again, just don't leave me!" 

"I'll never leave you, Lance." 

Lance looked up in shock. Keith's expression was soft, his smile small but genuine. 

"Keith!" 

Lance launched himself into the boy's arms, devastated tears turning into happy ones. He pressed his face into Keith's neck, laughing and crying as he wrapped his arms tightly around his middle. 

"I was so worried. I thought you'd forgotten me." 

Lance felt Keith press his lips to the top of his head. "Never." 

Lance's tears eventually subsided, and he leaned back to smile at Keith. 

"You're beautiful. Just as beautiful as before, but different." 

Keith chuckled. "Same goes for you." 

Lance looked down at his body, shocked to see that the gray skin he'd always lived with had changed to a light brown. 

"What? I'm... human. How did this happen?" 

"I think it's because you don't need Lotor anymore. Of course you'll always miss him, but you're no longer reliant on him for life. You're living your own life now." 

Lance pecked his cheek, grinning. "And what a great life it is."

\- - -

After that day, Lance and Keith were inseparable. Allura cried and hugged both when she saw them, grateful for their return but devastated by Lotor's permanent absence. 

The two lovers visited Pidge, Matt, and Hunk, explaining what had happened. They were understandably pissed that all three had endangered themselves without so much as a goodbye, but they forgave the two soon after. 

Both Lance and Keith were now as human on the outside as they had been on the inside. Keith decided to live with Lance and Allura after his lover pleaded he do so, and apologized to Allura multiple times for hurting her family member. She, slowly, forgave him for it and they became good friends. 

Whenever Lance found himself holding Keith's hand or touching his cheek, he was surprised to realize that Keith was warm. The scorching heat that enveloped Lance whenever they were together was replaced with a calm, gentle warmth. Though his skin used to be painful to the touch, Lance loved both sides of Keith — the fiery, snarky boy who was a little bit reckless and passionate, and the calmer, more hesitant boy who calmed Lance down when he was upset and cried softly into Lance's shoulder when the past became too much in his memory. 

Lance knew relationships were hard. His was painful and rocky and calamitous, but it was also incredibly rewarding and beautiful. 

So they weren't perfect. Who was? But Lance had changed for the better since he met Keith. He learned more about himself and the world around him than he ever would have before. 

And that was enough for him.


End file.
